Is My Old Man's War a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The true first is the Tor Books (Tom Doherty Associates) hardcover, New York, dated January 2005 — Scalzi's first novel
• Tor first printings of this period are identified on the copyright page by a 'First Edition: [month year]' line together with a full number line whose lowest digit is 1; dealers describe the Old Man's War first printing's line as 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, and a copy with the 1 stripped from that sequence is a later printing
• The book is bound in blue paper-covered boards stamped in green, in a pictorial dust jacket that should be unclipped with the price present at the flap
• Scalzi has stated on his own site that the first printing was 3,700 copies, that copies reached shelves in December 2004 ahead of the January 1, 2005 official release date (first sighting December 13, 2004), and that Tor had to rush a second printing less than three weeks after release — which is why genuine first printings are scarce relative to the book's later ubiquity

How Tor Books / Tom Doherty Associates marked a first edition

• Tor's reliable test: the explicit 'First Edition' line PLUS the number line — both must be present for a hardcover first.

Full Tor Books / Tom Doherty Associates first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

US first, and unambiguous: Tor Books, New York, January 2005. The census claim is correct. No UK edition preceded it — the sources consulted turn up no Tor UK / Macmillan London hardcover of this title, and the earliest UK availability was the US printing and later paperbacks. The 'first thus' traps are all format reissues: Tor's own trade paperback and the January 2007 mass-market paperback, the later series omnibus printings, and the recent Tor reissues. Only the January 2005 Tor hardcover is the first edition.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Scalzi's own bibliography page records that the Science Fiction Book Club made Old Man's War a featured selection for Winter 2005 and that Barnes & Noble Explorations featured it in December 2005; the sources consulted do not confirm a separately printed SFBC edition with distinct measurements, so a club-edition claim should not be made without the copy in hand. Where a book-club copy is encountered, the usual tells apply: no price at the jacket flap, smaller trim and lighter bulk than the trade hardcover, and a blind-stamped mark to the rear board. Second and later Tor printings are identified by the missing 1 in the number line.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Old Man's War a first edition?

A first edition of Old Man's War by John Scalzi (Tor Books / Tom Doherty Associates) is identified by: The true first is the Tor Books (Tom Doherty Associates) hardcover, New York, dated January 2005 — Scalzi's first novel.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). US first, and unambiguous: Tor Books, New York, January 2005.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Scalzi's own bibliography page records that the Science Fiction Book Club made Old Man's War a featured selection for Winter 2005 and that Barnes & Noble Explorations featured it in December 2005; the sources consulted do not confirm a separately printed SFBC edition with distinct measurements, so a club-edition claim should not be made without the copy in hand. Where a book-club copy is encountered, the usual tells apply: no price at the jacket flap, smaller trim and lighter bulk than the trade

I have a first edition of Old Man's War — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.